Words and Ideas for Health and Happiness… plus a bit of poetry ;)

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Healthy Living

I love to try anything new and healthy. Especially if it’s all natural and organic-hippie-fun. Especially if it’s easy. Extra especially if it makes me feel good. So, I have recently discovered what millions of other people have probably known about for years, green super-food drinks.

My discovery stemmed from my sister giving me a week’s worth of the health supplement, Kyani, to try. Though I liked the product, it’s a little expensive, so I decided to see what else was out there.

I ventured out to my local organic foods store where I told them I was looking for a “natural”, “organic” liquid nutritional supplement, in the hopes of finding something similar to the Kyani product. Being new to the natural-supplement world, I was now overwhelmed with options. In a good way, to be sure. I ended up checking out the green super-food powder drinks.

I started off with Garden of Life’s Perfect Food Raw Organic Green Super Food.

If you have never drank anything like this before, it is a very different experience. The powder is like dehydrated, ground up grass and veggies (which is pretty much what it is). That is also what it smells and tastes like. I bought the apple flavour and mixed it in a small glass of apple juice.

From what I have read, none of these green superfood drinks really taste GOOD. Some are just more bearable than others. My research also led me to many stated opinions that this particular product isn’t one of the best tasting. But it also seems to be a pretty good source of lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, and other good stuff. So, I suffer through the taste once a day.

I have now been drinking my organic green powdered drink for about a month.

The effects?

I really feel great. And I really shouldn’t feel so good right now. Lately I’ve had a lot going on. I’ve been busy and stressed and busy. But there’s many times during the past few weeks when I have noticed that I have energy when I would think I would be tired and worn. I actually feel healthier. I’ve noticed other things like my fingernails look thicker and healthier. My appetite also doesn’t seem to be as ferocious. The drink doesn’t seem to curb my appetite. I just think my body’s getting the nutrients it needs, so it’s less likely to feel cravings or want to eat for lack of energy.

I think the green super-food drink is a great idea. It’s highly unlikely that our everyday diet provides us with all those plant-based nutrients that our bodies crave. This simple, natural, organic product helps fill that gap. There are many products out there to try and much literature to help you pick. I have also read recommendations to switch products routinely to help get a more diverse range of nutrients. I started with Perfect Food Raw, but I have also tried Concentrace Greens Pak and I would like to try Amazing Grass next.

My own personal list of daily reminders for how to be happy, have peace, and follow my dreams.

(1) I am beautiful.
Inside and out. I was created from stardust and the infinite Universe. I am a unique creation with endles possibilities for happiness.

(2) Listen to and care for my body.
Drink water. Lots of it. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Get plenty of sleep. Exercise. Do yoga. Be good to my body.

(3) I am loved and loving.
There are so many beautiful souls in this world whom I love and who love me also. The most important of these being the love that I have for myself. I only need to connect to feel this love. Call a friend or family member. Tell my mother I love her. Hug my kids. Do something kind for myself and/or someone else.

(4) Be grateful.
Focus on the good things and give appreciation for them. Give time and energy to those things that bring me joy instead of feeling bad about things I don’t have. Be grateful for all the good in my life and make the best of it.

(5) I am strong.
I have already proven this time and time again throughout my life. Even the fact that I take the time to focus on self improvement, heal past wounds, and consciously focus on my happiness is an immense sign of resilience, bravery, and strength.

(6) This too shall pass.
To be remembered in times of hardship and also in times of joy. The most painful moments of my life will eventually just be a memory to grow and learn from. Every happy moment will also pass. They are all to be appreciated.

(7) I am creative.
Give time to my creative outlets. Write a poem or ponder a thought. Draw a picture. Let myself be inspired. Read a book. Visit a museum or some other inspiring place. Go for a run. Play the guitar. Listen to music. Dance. Commune with nature.

(8) Focus on my dreams and goals.
Both long term and short term. Make a to-do list of the daily tasks and feel the joy of checking them off. Make a list of dreams and long term goals and give attention and energy to it everyday. Enroll in the classes to finish my psychology degree. Practice and study in preparation to obtain yoga instructor certification. Plan that family vacation to Disney or the adults-only trip to South America. Even the smallest effort is still a step towards following my dreams. The more energy and focus I put towards the dreams, the happier I will be.

(9) I am divine.
Pray and/or meditate. Realign my spirit with and feel my connection to God and Universe. Fill my heart with love and gratitude and then extend it out to the rest of the world.

(10) Stop judging (myself and others).
No one is “perfect” according to society’s standards, and yet we are all perfect beings. I have the right to be here, just as naturally as the trees and the birds. I have no right to judge someone else’s life. I am not them, so I will never truly know what it is like to be them.

(11) Smile. Be happy.
No matter what life has in store for me, I decide everyday how I choose to view the world. Make the choice to find the good in life. Make the choice to be happy.

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(Bouquet of wildflowers picked while hiking in the Colorado mountains. 😀 )

Yesterday I started drinking hot water with lemon and honey first thing in the morning. Or, actually, I started drinking hot water with lime and honey since as I decided to do this, I also realized that I did not have any lemons. I did have some limes left over, though, from a guacamole recipe. Drinking lemon water is a much more popular practice, but my research showed that limes are probably just as good and possibly better for you than lemons. However, there is much more literature on the benefits of drinking lemon water, so I will probably switch to lemons after my next grocery store trip.

There are many health benefits to the practice ranging from boosting the immune system and reducing illness, assisting with weight loss and stimulating the digestive system to being good for the eyes and skin. The flavor is also quite yummy. The honey really does it for me. It has a flavor similar to drinking hot tea, but mellow and simple while at the same time sour and sweet. And it is so easy and cheap to prepare. The main reason I’m doing this, though, is to help me in my morning ritual.

Mornings are often hard for me. I have always been a morning person, given that I get good night’s sleep. However, my work schedule frequently has me getting home late at night, and I have two young children who frequently wake in the middle of the night in need of anything from a drink, a cuddle, or a trip to the bathroom. Needless to say, I am often groggy and slow to get going in the morning.

It is mainly because of this that I feel I could greatly benefit from an easy morning ritual. I can’t always do yoga first thing in the morning. I don’t always seem to have the time to meditate. But I am surely going to have SOMETHING to drink. Coffee has been my friend for a long time now and will continue to be at times, but this is obviously not the healthiest option. And there is always the dreaded, inevitable caffeine crash. Why not instead make something easy, cheap, AND good for me? Lemon water is a healthy alternative for me to look forward to from the time I get out of bed. Something to help me wake up, and the purity and ritual of it make me feel centered and ready for my day. A new part of my morning ritual to put me in a more creative state of mind; one that will make time for yoga and meditation and find creative ways to deal with the tasks of the day.

So far I am enjoying this subtle change in my morning. I do not see such a small addition to my day as being life changing in itself, but I do so it as a sweet beginning to composing a beautiful morning ritual. More than that, though, I am happy for just being more mindful and actually attempting to create a morning ritual to help get my day started off right. It’s little healthy steps like this that help to cultivate and grow my own being: by being good to myself, making time for healthy habits, and continuing to learn about myself and the world around me.

I come here with no pre-conceived notions of finding any major spiritual enlightenment or answers to life changing questions. I just know what makes me feel better. Sometimes, often times, I get so busy with life that I become overwhelmed. My priorities get all out of whack while I’m busy trying to manage all my responsibilities. My head is full and cloudy with plans, worries, fears, doubt, and questions. What should I do? What shouldn’t I do? Am I doing everything I’m supposed to be doing? Sometimes I get so busy with my working, worrying, and planning that I forget the most important things in life. For example, how good the sun feels on my skin, how much I love the cool, crisp air and the colors of fall, and how beautiful a sunset can be.

I grab my phone and ear buds and head for the trail. Music is probably my favorite part of my run. I love music, but I get so busy I forget to listen to it. I get so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I forget to even turn on the radio while I’m driving or put on a CD while I clean the house. I used to consider this a good thing. I was actually proud of myself for thinking so much. Now, I think it’s kind of stupid. Why am I always so busy? Doesn’t my brain deserve a break? Isn’t allowing my nerves to relax and recharge just as important as all those tasks on my daily ‘to do’ list?

I put in my ear buds and tune into Pandora on my phone. Today is definitely a Cake day. Many days are. Sometimes I want something different, some Stevie Nicks or Joan Jett, techno or dubstep. But, Cake is always good. I start down the trail at a casual pace.. “while Frank Sinatra sings stormy weather, the flies and spiders get along together.'” It’s a beautiful day outside. It is fall in Oklahoma, just before sunset. Fall is probably the prettiest time of year here. The sky is blue and cloudless. The trees are various shades of yellow, gold, orange, red, and green. Some are just dead. Yes, fall is beautiful in Oklahoma. It’s too bad that it only lasts for about a week. The temperatures were in the triple digits less than a month ago, and we will probably have our first freeze just anytime now.

I pass the quarter-mile marker and begin to run. The course is a mile and a half and wraps around a quaint park in south Oklahoma City. It’s short and sweet. I notice the pretty young girls that are running in the opposite direction. That seems to be the majority of the runners today: pretty, young, female twenty-somethings in short shorts and tiny tank tops. This might make me feel uncomfortable, if I cared. Me, with my fitted black t-shirt speckled with sketches of neon fairies and my baggy gray work out pants. But I really don’t care. I am not here to impress anyone or look cool. I am here for myself. And my sanity. I pass the half mile marker. A slight pain in my side reminds me that I am not a twenty-something anymore. The first half mile always seems to be the hardest. I am a bit out of shape, and my stamina isn’t what it once was. Some days, about this time, I might give myself a break, save myself from a little pain. Sometimes pain is fun and refreshing. Sometimes it’s not. Today I go for it. I pick up my pace. The slight brisk breeze feels good and I’m glad it’s not a windy day like it so often is in Oklahoma. As I round the bend, my muscles begin to ache, and I feel the sweat start to boil up on my forehead and neck. But, I also feel my mind begin to clear. As my muscles fight for oxygen and my lungs and heart strive to keep up, my brain has no time to worry about bills or broken promises. There’s only room in my head for the most essential of thoughts. Breathe. Move. Breathe. I find myself thanking my Maker for the legs I have to run on, for this beautiful day, glorious sky, and the shining sun. Earth. Wind. Fire. My appreciation is overwhelming. This is all I need. The Earth beneath my feet, the cool Wind to caress my overheating body, and the blazing Fire in the sky that warms my skin and nourishes my soul. The sky is an Endless Blue, without a cloud to be seen. The sky is one of Oklahoma’s most beautiful features, in my opinion. We have no real mountains to obstruct your view and not hardly any large cities. So, we don’t even have sky scrapers to get in the way. The sky goes on forever, and today it is an endless blue.

“Well, you started out with nothing, and you found out you’re a self-made man..” I love this song. It always reminds me of the movie Reservoir Dogs. My hips sway so much to the music, I may as well be dancing rather than running. “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you…” I finish out my mile of running and allow myself to casually walk again. My spirits are already higher than they were when I first arrived to the park. My head feels clearer, as if while I was working up a sweat my brain was working to put away all those useless thoughts and worries. A group of young boys are playing soccer in the adjacent field. The ball rolls out onto the path. A man walking a German shepherd hurries to retrieve it and roll it back to the children. Kindness. Politeness. I like that.

I enjoy a relaxing stroll and a little bit of people watching before I return to my run. I note that some of the tiny tank tops are on some pretty and physically fit females more in the 40-something range. I rejoice in this. It gives me something to work for and look forward to. “Dancing and chanting in sacrificial rite. Your feet are dried with the ashes from dead babies, who have passed the test just like all the rest, But never really understood the reasons why they took it in the first place…” – Cake. Their lyrics can be so strange and don’t always seem to make sense. I think that’s why I love them so much. “Pentagram” is probably their strangest song, that I know of at least. I hadn’t heard it in forever. The crazy lyrics shock me out of my wandering state of mind. And then I giggle at my own astonishment. That is why I love them.

I’m about half way through running my second mile. My muscles have grown accustomed to the ache now. My body feels lighter, my mind still clear and free of clutter and the clouds of doubt. The sun is about to set and is behind me now. My shadow laid out before me has the look of a big-reared woman on stilts with a tiny head. My legs are ridiculously long and my hips are huge! It is too funny. I have to stop and take a picture. I finish running and walk giddily the last quarter-mile back to the parking lot. Running in circles. Two laps, three miles. Ten years ago I would have come out here and run those three miles for the sole purpose of trying to make my butt smaller. I probably would have even considered it tedious, just running around in circles. Now it is my sanctuary. As a full-time hard-working mother and a part-time hard-working nurse, it can be very difficult to get some ‘me time’. I cherish this time. Nature, music, people watching, my heart pumping, my mind cleared, my body showing me what it is still capable of. I love it. I feel more at peace with myself and the world. I took time out of my day to do something that was purely for me. It just plain makes me feel good. I love anything that makes me feel good AND doesn’t harm me. Good bye my Endless Blue. I hope to see you again tomorrow, my earth, wind, and fire.